Nothing More, Nothing Less
by TheWammy'sHouseReject
Summary: He is a heartless Arrancar. She is a gentle schoolgirl. They never should have met. But, now that fate has brought them together, they will never be the same. And maybe, just maybe, he will find what he has been searching for all these years. UlquiHime
1. My World

**Yo! BeyondChaos here, with an UlquiHime story! You see, I have a soft spot for this pairing, and the plot bunnies were rabid. I don't know how many chapters this is gonna be, so enjoy :D**

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><p>I'd been spending too much time with that woman. She only confuses my thoughts, clouding my once sure judgment.<p>

What is it about her that makes me like this? That woman confuses me.

She was crying again today. She's always so beautiful when she cries, each tear perfect and crystalline as it fell down her face.. Normally, I'd be merely content to watch her in her pain, but today, I'd done something strange. I'd sat down beside her, took her into my arms, and held her while she cried.

What am I doing? I'm in over my head in something that doesn't matter. She's just one woman. There are billions more in that pathetic human world. So, why did _this _one matter so much to me? that one meaningless gesture of affection…that woman was making me soft.

I stared somewhere into an abyss, lost in thought.

That woman…

I mentally slapped myself for continuing to dwell on her. She was merely a tool for Lord Aizen to use, just as I was.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

Ichimaru had that smug expression on his face, with those closed eyes and that big, fake grin. And Aizen only knew where the hell Grimmjow was.

None of that mattered at the moment. I needed to get my thoughts straight. I wouldn't be of any use to Lord Aizen if I was distracted.

It felt like there were butterflies in my stomach, fluttering around and teasing me. I remembered that woman and her big, sorrowful eyes, and the feeling only intensified. The sensation became worse still when I recalled how desperately she held onto me, like a child clinging to their father.

I took a deep breath to clear my head. I was thinking too much about this. She was just a tool. Just a pawn. She would be disposed of if necessary. There was no point in becoming too attached to her.

The only reason she was here at all was to be a pawn in Lord Aizen's plans, anyway.

"Am I still asleep?" I said, to myself.

That woman was like the sweetest dream and the darkest nightmare, rolled up into one. she was beautiful, yet she could be so harsh. I should remember _that _from the time she slapped me. if I concentrate on it, I can still feel the tingling where her hand hit my face.

It hurt.

I didn't want anything to do with her, and yet, I did as Lord Aizen ordered. He told me to watch her, and I watched her. It wasn't a hard task. She wouldn't run away. any resolve or desire she held to escape had been destroyed long ago. It was all according to Lord Aizen's design. And no matter how much she cried, how much she begged, she could not escape. No matter how badly I wanted to release her…

I was _definitely _spending too much time with her. She was making me soft. Weak. In the world of the Espada, I could not afford to be weak. The world I lived in was vicious, and competitive. The weak were cast aside and killed. Only the strong could survive in my world.

Which was why, in the end, that woman would die. She was too kind. Too weak. And there was no place for the weak in this world.

Or _any _world, for that matter.

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>Please review :D <div> 


	2. Her World

I knew I was perverted for watching her sleep. But I couldn't help myself. She was just so beautiful, more peaceful and more relaxed than she ever was around me when she was awake.

I wanted to touch her, but I restrained myself. I would not sink so low. Nnoitra was the one who wanted to use her, rape her, and I have no doubt that he would have had Lord Aizen and myself not made him exercise self-restraint.

I would die a thousand times over before I let that sick monster so much as touch her.

Where were these desires coming from? Why did I feel this protective instinct towards this woman? If she was weak enough to need my protection, then she was obviously too weak to live.

So why did I continue to protect her?

She made me feel like I had never felt before. No, that wasn't quite it. She made me _feel. _That was strange enough on its own.

I wanted to hold her. Touch her. Never let her go. And there was something inherently strange in that. I had never felt any emotional attachment to anyone, so why should I feel it toward this one woman?

Perhaps this was what the humans called Lima Syndrome? That condition in which captors developed feelings of pity or sympathy toward their captives? They had a name for it, so obviously it was not unheard of to them. Could it cause captors to feel a sort of sexual or romantic attraction for their captives as well? Yes that had to be it. My mind was playing tricks on me. Making me feel things that I couldn't afford to feel.

No…simply making me _feel._

What was the heart, anyway? She talked about it so easily, and yet I couldn't understand.

_I just could not understand._

What was it? What made the heart so important? Why did she need it?

I wanted to know what she liked. What she hated. What kind of things she liked to do. To get closer to her. To know her, to…

…Kiss her.

What a strange thought that was.

She gave off a breathy sigh, and then moaned a name that made my blood run cold.

"…Ichigo…"

If I had a heart, I suppose that it sank in that instance.

Even if I did…_love _her, I couldn't have her, anyway. She wanted Kurosaki.

Kurosaki. Not me.

He was her love. Her world.

I think I was beginning to understand that now.


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